


two truths, one lie

by ColorMeParanoid



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Buck is a health hazard, Choking, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Party Games, Pole Dancing, ex stripper Buck, not the kinky kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28509882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid
Summary: “Buck,” Chim said on a sigh. “Nobody wants to see you strip.”Speak for yourself, Eddie nearly blurted out, then shoved a breadstick in his mouth to prevent any incriminating words escaping without his express permission. It had been way too long since he’d gotten laid and he should not be held accountable for his actions if Buck started shedding more clothes.“I’m just getting ready to blow your mind,” Buck said, turning around and walking confidently towards the poles that no one ever actually used because they were a safety hazard more than anything, and oh this was not going to end well. Eddie was not mentally prepared for this.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 60
Kudos: 545





	two truths, one lie

**Author's Note:**

> In case someone didn't know, the actor who plays Chimney (Kenneth Choi) starred in the music video of the song "Wherever I Go" by OneRepublic and I've been itching with the excuse to use that info in a fanfic so here it is!

It was an unusually slow day at the station, and everyone was going a little stir crazy. Their shift was just about done and the anticipation of the end of the work day was buzzing in the air. Will they get to go home in time or would another call come in at the worst possible moment?

Everyone was off doing their own thing, trying to stay distracted to help pass the time instead of staring intently at the clock slowly ticking away. Hen was grinning at her phone, probably texting with her wife and Eddie was absently clewing on some breadsticks they had left over from their lunch as he watched Chimney antagonize Buck, which never ended well for anyone involved.

To be fair, Chimney _did_ ask everyone if they wanted to join in on a "friendly" game of two truths and one lie and while Buck happily agreed, no one else was crazy enough to join in on that train wreck waiting to happen. The two of them could get crazy competitive, regardless of the game they were playing and Eddie had played this particular one more than enough times in his high school days to know that there was nothing friendly about it. 

Hen claimed she was above that all childish drama and Eddie mostly backed out because his life was pretty boring and he didn't want to come out of this as a loser. Because according to their improvised rules, there would, indeed, be a loser by the end of it. It wasn't just about successfully guessing the lie, it was also about whose truth was more impressive, because of course it was. 

Without alcohol involved, they decided to put dish duty for a full month as the ultimate punishment for the perceived loser and if Eddie hated something more than cooking, it was doing the dishes. Besides, listening to the things the two of them were making up was far more entertaining. The longer the game went on, the more ridiculous their stories got as they attempted to one up each other and "win".

It was safe to say that Eddie was learning a lot of interesting information about his two friends.

"You did _not_ star in a music video before becoming a firefighter, come on Chim," Buck said, hands thrown up in the air. "That one is an obvious lie."

But Chimney was already pulling out his phone and quickly typing something in before handing it over to Buck, whose mouth literally dropped open when the video started playing.

Chim's smirk was unbearably smug and Eddie knew that he wouldn't stop bringing this up for a long time to come. Honestly, Eddie was only shocked that this hadn't come up sooner. But Chimney had obviously been saving that bomb of an information for an opportunity such as this one. He did seem pretty keen on playing this particular game than any other they suggested now that Eddie thought about it.

"I think it's fair to say that I win the game," Chimney announced with a smirk as Buck scowled down at the phone in his hands. "There's no possible way you can top this. There's no way anyone here could ever top this."

Eddie wanted to point out how that was not how the game actually worked, but he bit his tongue. They were in too deep to listen to reason, anyway. He also couldn't deny that he was curious as to what Buck would come up with next – because it would be something. Buck wasn't known for giving up this easily and Eddie could recognize the look in his eyes. He was debating with himself if he should go through with what he had in mind or not.

More often than not, he did, even if it ended with him in the hospital far often than anyone would like. Even Hen looked away from her own phone, intrigued as to what Buck was about to share with them all. Eddie knew the feeling. For such an open and friendly guy, Buck could be infuriatingly tight lipped about his past. They didn't know much about him before he joined the 118 and they were desperate for any shred of information he was willing to share. And it seemed that Chimney had pushed just the right button.

"One last game?" Buck asked and Chimney shrugged, leaning back in his chair with a smirk.

"Sure. But you're only embarrassing yourself."

Buck ignored him and raised up one finger in the air. "One. Maddie and I actually have a third sibling." Chimney scoffed, already ready to call him out on his lie but Buck gave him a pointed look as he raised up a second finger. "Two, I'm actually not straight."

All the eyebrows in the room went up in surprise – especially Eddie’s - and Chimney's face visibly fell when faced with just the two offered options. He'd made a grave mistake of underestimating Buck and now he was going to pay for it.

"And three," Buck said as he lifted up the third finger, no longer trying to conceal his own smirk. "When I say that I bartended my way through South America, I did far more stripping than I actually did bartending. It's where I learned how to pole dance, too."

Eddie wasn't sure how he was going to top the second statement that was still echoing inside his head so he was very impressed. And also a little perturbed because even as Buck's best and closest friend, even he wasn't sure which one was actually a lie and which were the truth.

Though, even if only one statement was the truth, Eddie knew exactly which one he wanted it to be.

"The game is called two truths and _one_ lie, Buck," Chimney reminded him and Buck crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his seat, mimicking Chim's previous smug posture.

"I said what I said."

The two of them stared at one another as Eddie wracked his brain trying to figure out the lie.

There was a lot of secrecy from both Buck and Maddie when it came to their family and especially their parents, so Eddie wouldn't be shocked if yet another Buckley sibling popped out of nowhere. It wouldn't even be the first time.

And though the second one made Eddie's heart go into overdrive, that one seemed the least likely. He and Buck told each other pretty much everything and Eddie would know if Buck was dating a guy at any point in the last two years. Three even, if the rest of the team was to be believed. It was a constant parade of women and Buck definitely wasn't shy to make it known when he was with someone.

If he truly wasn't straight, surely it would have come up at some point before, right? He had to know that no one here would care or hold it against him, Hen was proof enough of that. But no matter how much he wanted that to be the truth, because it would give him some semblance of hope of Buck actually returning his feelings, it couldn't be. Either it was a lie meant to distract Chimney, or it mean that Buck had been lying to him all along.

It was his choice to come out at his own pace, of course, Eddie couldn't begrudge him for that. Not when technically, he wasn’t out to anyone either. But the thought of Buck lying to him when he said that he was having a solo night in instead of hanging out with him and actually seeing some other guy stung more than Eddie thought it would.

It would suck if it was truth, because if Eddie knew he actually had the chance, he would have taken it – or he liked to think that he would, at least – and he didn't like the thought of Buck hiding such an important part of himself because he... what? Because he didn't think Eddie would react well? 

The second one had to be the lie.

But then again, Eddie saw Buck on the dance floor. If he danced to make money, he wouldn't have made it far through his trip. He was very pretty to look at, though, so who knew? Anything was possible when it came to Buck, he'd learned that much over the last two years of knowing him.

Chimney was visibly struggling to come up with the response and Hen leaned in closer to Eddie to whisper, “Do you know which one is the lie?”

“I have no clue,” Eddie muttered back, annoyed despite himself. 

Buck glances at him for a brief moment and Eddie couldn't quite decipher the look in his eyes before Buck was looking away again, definitely not as smug as he was just a moment ago. It was as if the reality of what he just potentially shared with the crew finally hit him but he was trying not to show just how nervous he was of their reaction.

Eddie doubted that any of this was planned. Buck just went with a gut feeling like he always did, regardless of the consequences and now he had to face them.

“Do I get any follow up questions?” Chimney asked and Buck shook his head.

“Just make your guess. Unless you want to give up and admit that I win.”

Chimney groaned. “Fine. I’m going with number three. I’ve seen you dance, Buckley. You may be like, sort of semi attractive under a certain light. You know, if you're into _that_ kind of thing," he said, waving vaguely in Buck's direction, ignoring Buck's sound of protest. "But I doubt anyone would pay to watch you dance.”

“They would if it involved taking his clothes off,” Hen pointed out and Buck grinned at her.

“Exactly! Sorry, Chim. But you lose. Maddie and I don’t have any extra siblings as far as we know. So, unless you can top that story, there’s a sink full of dishes waiting for you.”

Chimney shook his head, in clear disbelief. “Nuh-uh. I don’t buy it. I showed you proof of my story but all we have to go off of is your word. And I don’t buy a single thing you’ve just said.”

Eddie was expecting Buck to continue on bickering and for the topic to get dropped soon after, but instead, Buck simply stood up and started pulling off his uniform jacket.

“Buck,” Chim said on a sigh. “Nobody wants to see you strip.”

Speak for yourself, Eddie nearly blurted out, then shoved a breadstick in his mouth to prevent any incriminating words escaping without his express permission. It had been way too long since he’d gotten laid and he should not be held accountable for his actions if Buck started shedding more clothes.

“I’m just getting ready to blow your mind,” Buck said, turning around and walking confidently towards the poles that no one ever actually used because they were a safety hazard more than anything, and oh this was not going to end well. Eddie was _not_ mentally prepared for this.

“Buck-“ Hen tried but it was too late. Buck gripped the pole and in a truly impressive move lifted himself up from the ground, did some sort of spin that left him nearly hanging upside down, the muscles in his arms showing the strain of holding up his significant bulk. His strong thighs wrapped around the pole and he looked straight at Eddie as he slid down excruciatingly slowly and Eddie’s breath hitched in his throat and all of a sudden, he couldn't breathe.

No, seriously. He _couldn’t breathe_.

The piece of bread he’d had in his mouth got lodged in his throat as he'd inhaled and at first, he didn't panic. It happened sometimes, food going down the wrong pipe. He tried to cough it out, slapping his hand on his chest and it was only when that didn't work and he still couldn't breathe that the panic really started setting in.

Hen immediately noticed his distress. “Eddie? What’s wrong?” He gestured at his throat and her eyes widened with realization. “You’re choking?”

He nodded and she gripped his arm tight, getting him to stand up and lean forward. She slapped at his back a few times, hard, but it didn't work. The piece of bread remained stubbornly lodged in his throat and he was starting to get a little lightheaded.

She was asking him something but he had a hard time hearing her, especially when Chimney and Buck joined them, both equally concerned, asking what was wrong.

“He’s choking,” she explained, coming to stand behind him. She wrapped her arms tight around him, a fist right underneath his ribcage, a classic Heimlich maneuver position.

Eddie heard Buck mention Abby’s name and then he heard nothing but the rush of his own heartbeat loud in his ears as all remaining air was punched out of his chest. Hen pushed at his middle, doing abdominal thrusts with impressive strength, nearly lifting his feet from the ground until all of a sudden, the stubborn piece of bread went flying out of his mouth like something out of a cartoon. Hen released him from her tight grip and he nearly toppled over, coughing uncontrollably.

“Eddie? You okay?” Hen asked and Eddie gave a sharp nod, still coughing but able to breathe now which was a major improvement.

He looked up to see Buck running their way, wide eyed and holding a med kit in one hand and a scalpel in the other. Didn't anyone teach him that it wasn't safe to run with sharp objects?

“Why are you holding a scalpel?” Chimney asked, utterly confused.

“I thought we might have to do an emergency tracheotomy?”

“What? No. Why would you jump straight to that?” Hen asked, shaking her head and Chimney scoffed.

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, realizing why the whole Abby topic had suddenly come up. “At least buy me dinner first.”

Well, it seemed that the lack of oxygen had given him some brain damage because here he was, openly flirting with Buck despite his very recent near death experience because Buck and Maddie didn’t have a third sibling.

They didn’t have a third sibling!

Which meant that not only did Buck have a much more colorful past than any of them knew – as he very gladly demonstrated - but he was also very much not straight. And neither was Eddie, so. It felt important in the moment to make that known to everyone, especially Buck who was now fluttering around him like a nervous mother hen.

“What’s going on here?” All of them looked up at the question to find Bobby looking down at them, clearly concerned. All the commotion must have finally lured him out of his office.

“Buck started to pole dance and nearly killed Eddie,” Chimney blurted out and Bobby sighed, exasperated.

“Buck," he said, in that tone of voice that immediately made Buck duck his head, like a kid that had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Stop molesting the poles, it’s clearly a health hazard. And someone please get Eddie a glass of water before he passes out.” He glanced at his watch and gave all of them a warning look. "And please, try not to kill anyone in the next ten minutes. I'd like to go home in time for a change."

“On it, Cap,” Chim said, rushing into the kitchen as Buck all but carried Eddie to the couch despite his assurance that he could still, in fact, walk on his own.

"I'm so sorry, Eddie," Buck said mournfully, rubbing his back.

Eddie frowned at him. "For what?"

"For-" Buck tried but then frowned himself. "I don't know, honestly. What _am_ I apologizing for?"

Eddie snorted, shaking his head. "I don't think that "being too hot" requires an apology. You just caught me off guard, is all."

"Oh," Buck breathed out, clearly taken aback. "You think I'm hot?"

Of course that was the part Buck chose to focus on and Eddie didn't even blame him. He had immediately zeroed into the fact that Buck might not be as straight as everyone assumed as soon as the words had come out of his mouth so who was he to judge?

But now that the words were out there, what was the point of denying them anymore? Near death experiences changed a person and Eddie was frankly sick of pretending that he didn't care about Buck as anything more than just a best friend. It felt like they've been tiptoeing the line since the moment they've met and Eddie was more than ready to cross it if Buck was on board. There was only one way to find that out for sure, and that was to just tell him.

He ignored Buck's question and countered with his own. "Do you want to play another round of the game with me?"

Buck narrowed his eyes at him, trying to figure him out. "Sure."

"Great," Eddie said. "I'll start. One, I'm definitely not straight either."

He could practically see the moment that Buck caught onto what he was doing, his frown slowly morphing into a smile.

"Two, I have developed a sudden interest in pole dancing."

Buck rolled his eyes, but he was full on grinning now, waiting for the punchline that he didn't know wouldn't come. Because this wasn't a game for Eddie. This was a very convoluted love confession, Eddie Diaz style.

"And three," Eddie said, his heart in his throat, "I'm definitely _not_ completely and utterly in love with you."

Buck literally gaped at him, not saying a word and Eddie reached out and took one of his limp hands in his. 

"Are you ready to guess?"

"Uh..." Buck's eyes rapidly flickered from Eddie's eyes to his lips and Eddie knew that they were finally on the same page. "I really hope it's the third one because I'd literally sell one of my kidneys if I got to see you dance on a pole. For me. In private. Like in your bedroom private and by the pole I mean my-"

His sentence came to an abrupt end at the sound of glass shattering that made them both jump. They turned around to see a horrified Chimney standing there, staring in the distance with a haunted look in his eyes.

"I can never unhear this," he muttered to himself. "Never."

Eddie turned to Buck and said in his best sultry voice, "I like the sound of that. Your place or mine?"

Chimney made a pained sound and Buck laughed and leaned in for a kiss that left Eddie breathless for a whole new reason, though no less threatening if his heart didn't stop beating like it was going out of style.

A pointed clearing of a throat was what got them to pull apart from what was definitely not appropriate work behavior but instead of lecturing them, Bobby simply handed them both a stack of papers.

"I expect those filled out and on my desk first thing tomorrow morning."

Eddie looked down to inspect the papers a little closer and felt himself blush. It was the forms that one was supposed to fill out for dating a coworker.

"Bobby really works fast, huh?" he joked, trying to break through the sudden tension between him and Buck. He knew what he wanted out of this, to the point that he was genuinely looking forward to doing paperwork for the first time in his life. But what if Buck didn't feel the same? What if he'd just gotten caught up in the moment and kissed him to traumatize Chimney a little more?

It felt real, but he couldn't help but notice that though Eddie had confessed his love, Buck did not say it back.

"Oh please," Hen said. "He's had those ready to go for well over a year now. He was just waiting to catch you in the act before he was allowed to make you sign anything." She rolled her eyes at their surprise. "We all have. Now come on Chimney, mop this up and get changed. Our shifts are officially over and Karen will kill me if I'm late for dinner again."

"I guess we should go get changed too," Eddie said after a long moment of silence, standing up without looking at Buck. He could hear Buck's footsteps as he followed behind him and into the locker room where they changed out of their uniforms, exchanging nervous and uncertain looks.

Honestly, Eddie didn't think this far ahead when he'd made the first move, only that he was presented with a perfect opportunity and he couldn't miss it. Not again. He was still kicking himself for not just going for it that night in Buck's kitchen when Buck asked him if he wanted to go for the title. He very much did, he was just too big of a coward to admit it aloud.

It had been a long time since he went out with anyone, let alone when the stakes were this high and he wasn't quite sure what happened now that the words were out in the open. He'd said his due and then Buck was the one who kissed _him_ and he'd completely lost track of the ball and both courts or whatever that metaphor was all about.

"Are you still coming over for movie night?" Eddie found the courage to ask once they made their way out of the station and into the parking lot.

"Of course. Wouldn't miss is for the world."

They both unlocked their cars and Eddie was trying to figure out what to say, because he didn't want to leave when things between them were so uncertain when Buck said, "Eddie?"

Eddie looked at him hopefully. "Yeah?"

"Want to play another round?"

"Shoot."

"One," Buck said, looking him right in the eye. "I definitely don't love you, too."

Eddie could feel himself blush and scowled at him to cover it up but he couldn't keep up the act for long, a pleased smile breaking through the annoyed facade. "Asshole," he said in return and Buck laughed.

"You really thought I'd just leave without saying it back?" Buck walked around his car and stepped closer to Eddie, pinning him to his own truck. "Give me some credit."

"What's number two?" Eddie asked and Buck cocked his head to the side.

"To be honest, my mind has been kind of blank since you told me you loved me?" he admitted with a chuckle. "I wanted to come up with something witty but all I can really think about right now is getting to kiss you again."

Fuck it, talking was overrated anyway.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Buck pressed his smile against Eddie's and Eddie just let himself sink into the sensation, letting go off all the fear and doubt that had been plaguing him since he first met Buck, if he was being fully honest with himself. They had that instant spark that had grown into something deeper over time and now everything had finally clicked into place.

Even Hen and Chimney who honked at them as they were pulling out of the parking lot, yelling at them to get a room didn’t ruin the moment. Eddie pulled away from Buck just long enough to wave them away with his middle finger because technically, they weren't at work right now so he couldn't care less.

As soon as they were gone, they drifted together again, like two magnets that have spent far too much time apart. They'd get a lot of shit for it later, but in the moment, that was the last thing on his mind.

They had a lot of lost time to make up for, first.


End file.
